The case for restoring Steven Lee’s pension

A 60-second brief for legislative staff.

Who he is

Steven Lee served as an NYPD sergeant from January 2005 to November 2022. He spent approximately 18 months working undercover for Internal Affairs in the 109th Precinct. A 2018 letter from the Queens District Attorney credited his role in securing convictions.

The contrast

Lee was fired on November 1, 2022 — two years short of the 20-year pension line — and lost his pension. The officers he helped convict kept theirs.

The precedent

Cariol Horne, a Buffalo police officer fired for intervening against a chokehold, had her pension restored by New York State via S.7209/A.8026, signed December 22, 2021 as Chapter 800 of the Laws of 2021.

The vehicle

A narrow state special act granting the service credit needed to qualify. A state special law can reach the NYC Police Pension Fund: the forfeiture rule itself — Chapter 514 of the Laws of 2011 — was a state special law amending the NYC Administrative Code. Precedent A.8191-A of 2019 named an individual NYPD officer for his city-fund pension. A NYC Council home-rule message is required.

The ask

Introduce a Horne-model bill in the January 2027 session.

Background information, not legal advice.